A Different Kind of Triangle
by SlashLover93
Summary: Soda's always the one in the middle of triangles. First between his two brothers, then between his baby brother and best friend...But what if this time it was Ponyboy in the middle of a whole different kind of twisted triangle? Slash.


**Disclaimer- I do not own The Outsiders**

_'Stupid Soda'_

Ponyboy thought miserably.

He was sitting on the edge of his and Soda's bed, glaring down at the floor with his head in his hands.

Steve was leaning on the dresser across from Ponyboy with his arms crossed, glaring at him.

You see they were arguing again and Soda got tired of it. He locked them in his and Pony's room and told them that he's not going to let them out until they get along.

Ponyboy didn't blame Soda though. He was always stuck in the middle. He was stuck between his two brothers, until he told them how much their arguing was tearing him apart. Now they tried not to argue as much for Soda's sake.

Soda's been stuck between his baby brother and best friend for years.

It must suck to be stuck in the middle of people you love.

Pony's glad he's never been the one in the middle. He doesn't think he could handle it.

Pony understood, but that doesn't mean he likes the idea of being stuck in this room with Steve.

They're never going to get along. They're going to be stuck in here forever.

"God you're so annoyin'!" Steve yelled, breaking Ponyboy from his thoughts.

Pony snapped his head up to glare at Steve.

"What are you talking about? What I'm I doing?"

"What aren't ya doin'? Ya spaced out into your own la la land like ya always do! Ya walk around everyday with your head in the clouds! It's so fuckin' annoyin'!" Steve said.

Pony stood up angrily.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Pony never got it. Steve was always so mean to him for no reason at all.

Why did it bother Steve so much when Pony hung out with him and Soda? Soda is Pony's brother; he's allowed to spend time with him. Pony should be able to spend as much time with his older brother as he wants to, without Steve biting his head off every single time.

He has his suspicions though.

Everybody thinks he's too naïve and too lost in his own world to notice what goes on around him, and maybe that's true to some extent, but he could be observant if he wanted to be. He doesn't know if he's reading too much into it or not, but he thinks that maybe there's something going on between Soda and Steve, that Steve just might feel a little more for Soda than he lets on.

That was the only rational explanation.

Steve was jealous of him, of the close bond he had with his beloved older brother, and that Soda always seemed to pick him over Steve, always seemed to invite him to hangout with them, when it was suppose to be there alone time.

That could explain why Steve always blew up at him.

Pony doesn't know why, but he feels jealously and hurt boil in with his anger. His hands ball into tight fists and he grits his teeth together as he said,

"I know why, it's because I get in the way of your alone time with Soda."

Steve is shocked at that statement, but quickly shakes it off and stares intently at Pony.

"What are ya getting at kid?"

"You know what I mean, Steve. Soda's not only your best friend, you love him, really love him, and it pisses you off that he'd pick me over you any day." Pony seethed.

They locked eyes. Pony could see the normal in Steve's eyes, anger and annoyance, but there's also something else he sees that he can not place. The emotion is foreign in Steve's eyes.

They were silent for a while, until Steve broke it with dry chuckles.

Steve walked over in front of Pony and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Pony looked at him in confusion.

"You're supposed to be the smart one of the gang, but kid you're such a dumb-ass." Steve said.

"Oh, really? Because I thought I was always a smartass to you." Pony retorted.

"Well ya ain't smart if ya think I love Soda … even though that'd be a little bit easier." Steve mumbled the last part to himself.

"Huh?" Pony asked softly in confusion and curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Steve looked straight into Pony's eyes. Pony was surprised to see the anger and annoyance gone from Steve's eyes and that foreign emotion flooded them instead.

Without a word, Steve leaned down and kissed Pony on the lips.

Caught of guard, Pony stumbled backwards onto the bed.

Pony's face was flushed and he stared up at Steve with wide, shocked eyes.

Steve was blushing lightly.

"Steve, what the hell?" Pony yelled.

Steve bit his lip and ran a hand through his black, greasy, curly locks. He looked nervous. Pony never saw Steve nervous before, hell he never thought Steve could get nervous.

"Hell kid, I thought it would be obvious to anyone."

Pony stared at Steve, thinking. Out of no where he starts laughing.

Steve glared down at him, the anger and annoyance back in his eyes.

"What the fuck do ya find so funny?"

Pony stopped laughing, and stood back up.

"Why the hell did you kiss me, Steve?"

"Fuck kid, why is it always talkin' with ya?" Steve growled. "Ya can't just let somethin' happen, can ya? Ya always have to talk about it!"

"Well, sorry if I don't like being confused!" Pony snapped. "You hate me! You're not supposed to kiss people you hate!"

Steve sighed.

"Don't ya get it kid? I don't love Soda... I don't hate ya ... I might act like it, but it's to cover up the fact that I actually... love ya."

Steve sounded so sincere for once, that Pony actually believed him, and his face softened.

"So you really do love me?"

"Yeah,"

Pony thought for a second, before he said slowly,

"But, you covered it up with hate, because ... you were confused? Scared?"

"Both actually," Steve admitted.

Pony was surprised. Steve was showing him a completely different side of him. Steve's actually opening up to him.

Pony sighed and sat back down on the bed. He felt kind of confused, because he doesn't know what to feel. He doesn't know if he feels the same way or not, he doesn't know if he loves Steve back. For one, he's never been in love before, so he doesn't exactly know what it feels like, second, he doesn't really know that much about Steve and you can't love somebody you don't know that much about, and the third, and the most important reason is because all these years he thought he hated Steve, because he thought Steve hated him for no real reason at all. Steve's been nothing but an insensitive, arrogant, cocky; know it all, jackass to Ponyboy.

"Steve...I-I don't know if I love you back or not."

"It's ok, Pony. I understand." Steve said softly, sitting down beside Pony on the bed.

Pony looked at Steve with a small, nervous smile.

"But, I'm willing to give it a shot … o-only if we take it slow though."

Steve smirked.

"Ok, deal, I can do slow."

He then crashed his lips to Pony's for the second time that day. Pony pulled away, pushing Steve off him slightly.

"Steve, I said I want to take things slow, if you don't respect that then, well, I'm not doing it." Pony said with annoyance, but more embarrassed than anything.

Steve scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"All I did was kiss you, that's not going fast … It's not like I was trying to get in your pants or anything." He stated matter-of-factly.

Pony blushed, looking away.

"Look, Steve, this thing is new to me … it's kind of strange … I-I need to get used to it, before we do much of anything."

Steve sighed.

"Like it ain't new to me? I've never been with another guy before."

"No, th-that's not w-want I meant … I mean I've never been with anybody … girls and guys a like … I've never even been kissed, until today that is … s-so just … I don't know … I'm just not use to being like this with somebody … a-a-and-and … I'm used to us hating each other … so I guess it's dating in general that's weird for me."

Steve smiled at the giddy feeling that bubbled at the pit of his stomach when Pony said Steve was his first kiss.

He wrapped one of his strong arms around Pony's shoulders, making Pony smile and lean on him.

"Ok, if it makes you feel better, we'll go slow … I don't want to pressure you into doin' something you don't want to do."

"Thanks, Steve."


End file.
